What you might not recall is that the Dualis has been around in Australia since 2007 and although it attracted some buyer interest, sales of those early vehicles were eclipsed by its X-Trail stablemate to the tune of about 10 to one.

Which means that an early Dualis is perhaps cheaper than it might be and, in fact, some early examples are now hitting used-car classifieds with price-tags around the $10,000 mark.

That?s also partly because Nissan, in the face of slow sales, sliced $2000 from the Dualis ST in 2009 and a whopping $4000 off the price of the Ti at the same time, sending retained values into free-fall.

But compare the current values with the $13,000 or $14,000 being asked for a base-model X-Trail of the same vintage and maybe the Dualis starts to come back into its own.

Either way, you need to understand that an early Dualis was not as big inside nor as butch looking as the X-Trail (despite lots of shared engineering) but in a market that is increasingly finding the compact SUV an attractive proposition, maybe the concept has more legs now than it did back in 2007.

In fact, despite sharing the same wheelbase as the X-Trail, there?s less overhang at either end, making the Dualis a bit more city-friendly for some.

The interior space is further restricted by the sloping rear roofline which was aimed at looking sharp, not carrying pot-plants.

The styling also hampered rear vision, yet the Dualis had neither a reversing camera or even parking sensors as standard. In fact, they weren?t even available optionally.

That said, the Dualis did have a split-fold rear seat, but for those looking for maximum utility, the X-Trail remained the way to go.

While the X-Trail had a 2.5-litre engine in those days, the Dualis got lumped with a two-litre unit when the bigger engine would have been better.

A six-speed manual was standard, but a CVT two-pedal option was available and popular with buyers.

But the CVT imposes its own set of characteristics and some owners found they didn?t like the way the transmission felt and sounded, so make sure it suits your tastes before handing over the cash.

Safety in the entry-level Dualis was a matter of dual front air-bags and anti-lock brakes, but if you wanted side-curtain air-bags and stability control, you needed to pony up for the range-topping Ti model or find a lower-spec car with the optional safety pack fitted.

While the Dualis can be had as a front-drive only car these days, the first version was all-wheel-drive with Nissan?s familiar rotary dial which most owners left in automatic mode, allowing the car to assess the grip conditions and make its own decisions.

But that all-wheel-drive function is also the Dualis' worst enemy in some regards as it tempted some people to take the thing to places it should never have gone.

To be honest, such owners would be in the minority, but it?s always worth checking underneath a Dualis (or any soft-roader) for the sort of damage inflicted by an off-road track.

While you?re under there, check the shock absorbers for an oily film on them.

The rear shocks are the worst offenders on the Dualis, but they commonly fail early in life and that mist of oil is the first sign that they?re on the way out.

Once the rot has set in, the car will also start to make loose, banging noises over bumps and a loud rattling on rough roads. At that point, the rear shocks will be toast and will require immediate replacement.

The early Dualis was also affected by a recall to check for a major potential fault in the steering system.

Somehow, some Dualises were thought to have been fitted with a fastener in the steering system that could become loose.

The steering would become noisy at first, but could actually fail, leaving the car rudderless.

But the bad news for the Dualis? steering system didn?t end there.

In fact, two more recalls were issued for the J10 Dualis regarding the steering; one for a steering boss that could separate from the steering column and the third for later versions of the car which could suffer a power-assistance failure, leaving the steering working but requiring much more effort on the driver?s part.

Any Nissan dealer will know which cars were affected and can identify those that have been attended to.

Our rating: 2.5/5

Vital statistics

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder

Transmissions: 6-man/CVT

Fuel economy: 8.4L/100km (manual), 8.5L/100km (CVT)

Safety rating: 5 stars

Likes

? Compact body makes for a city-friendly station-wagon.

? Six-speed manual makes the most of the engine.

? Decent value now.

? Reliable driveline.

Dislikes

? No standard stability control or curtain air-bags.

? No reversing camera or parking sensors.

? Engine could struggle when fully loaded.

? CVT not to everyone?s taste.

Competitors

Nissan X-Trail ? Included because it stole sales from the Dualis even though they shared showrooms. Bigger and tougher but repairs can be complex and, therefore, costly. 3.5 stars

Honda CR-V - A bit soft in the engine department and not as masculine looking as some buyers would like. Quality made, though, and will do the job with little fuss. 3 stars

Toyota RAV4 ? The default setting thanks to enormous reputation and genuine ability. More expensive to buy though, but you?ll recoup some of that when you on-sell. 3.5 stars